Introduction

Sue Suprianos Steppin Out of Babylon is a radio interview series covering a broad range of important issues in todays world: peace and war, human and civil rights, communication, the media, the environment, food security, racism, globalization, immigration and matters of the spirit. Over 250 shows are available at this site!

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Clayton Thomas-Müller

Clayton Thomas-Müller of the Mathais Colomb Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, Canada, is the indigenous oil campaign organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. He works across Alaska, Canada and the lower 48 States of the US with grassroots indigenous communities to defend their human and environmental rights against transnational oil corporations. Clayton has been recognized by Utne magazine as one of the top 30 under 30 young visionary activists in the U.S.. Sue Supriano interviewed him at Bioneers where he was a presenter.

Thomas-Muller says that 35% of all fossil fuels found in North America are on or near indigenous lands so corporations and government organizations concentrate on exploiting them and socio-economic conditions are worsening for the people who live near the sites of these nonsustainable energy sources such as oil and gas. Like so many people, some of the leaders go for the money offered them by the corporations and government agencies and things get worse and worse in terms of the toxicity of the land, water, and air where the indigenous people live. He goes into some detail with the example of the proposed oil refinery in Fort Berthold, North Dakota which is already subjected to a huge amount of toxicity due to being close to coal fired power plants. The oil refinery would only worsen the situation. Parents are very concerned for the health of their children on the Reservation. He says that already the amount of oil spilled into the water and polluting it in one year is equivalent to 1,000 Exon Valdez oil spills. Then the oil would go from Fort Berthold to Chicago and would be driven by the oil extracted from tar sands in Native lands in Alberta, Canada. In fact those lands (a huge number of miles and acres) are being ruined by being drilled with water to get a bit of oil, and then the water is polluted to the point of being undrinkable with toxicity from the chemicals from the oil. So it's all connected and continues the long tradition of exploitation of Native peoples and their land.

We also speak about climate change and the disprportionate hardship for people of color and poor people. The Houma indigenous group in Louisiana being a current case in point as they were severely affected by Hurricane Katrina and got absolutely no government help whatsoever. The Indigenous Environmental network, when invited by local people, comes in and educates and help grassroots groups to fight this exploitation of the people and their environment and, in the example of the Houma, to help them with basic needs.